Saturday, March 17, 2007

Dobryden

Greetings from Prague, Czech Republic! So far I am a bit disoriented- I am a bit tired from flying and it's overcast here and I haven't walked around much yet... but I want to blog about my flights before I get too bogged down in sightseeing. The following was written in my paper journal on the flights:

PDX- Frankfurt, GermanyI love Lufthansa airlines. My first meal just now included cheese tortellini over steamed vegetables (good ones- carrots, zucchini, celery) with marinara sauce, Israeli-like salad (parsley, cucumbers, onions, cherry tomatoes, dressing and cheese-I think it was Pecorino but that wouldn't really make sense with an Israeli salad), a fruit cup (cantaloupe, honeydew, strawberries), a wheat roll, a "pat" of "Promise" spread, and 3/4 oz. of colby cheese. I love colby cheese! Not only was my dinner bordering gourmet by airline standards, I got served first because of my vegetarian "restrictions."

Post dinnerOn top of the fabulous, healthy food, they keep the drinks comin'. They came through with bev service twice before serving dinner (once was with a pretzel "Goldfisch" snack). once during and then once at the end of dinner asking "Red or white wine?" and then, "Coffee or tea?" And finally, "Bailey's or cognac?" Sweeeeet. (Mind you, this is all free on international flights.) All of it almost made up for my shit seat in the center section, 2nd from the end, in between two middle-aged women who were both wearing too much perfume and whose personal "bubbles" are smaller than mine. No window OR aisle seat. Only 6 and a half hours left on this flight.... Did I mention the mini Coca-Cola "Light?" ...and adorable .15 liters. It's pocket size!!

7:30 am, Europe time (11:30 pm PST)My vegetarian "breakfast" consisted of two mushroom pastries over cooked spinach and a fruit cup (blueberries, honeydew, and peeled oranges and grapefruit), and a white dinner roll & jam. "Promise" was also included. Yum.

Another great thing about Lufthansa is that the flight attendants are nearly all men (in my section anyway.) They are very nice and polite, they speak perfect English, are always smiling and they actually appear to like their jobs.

Did I mention that Lufthansa has down pillows?

Frankfurt International AirportI have never seen so many Nike products and what appeared to be employees- they were decked out in everything Nike) in one place at the same time since the Nike Employee Store at Christmas time!

Oh, and I saw the famous airbus twice while here- once waiting to board (people were clapping when they saw it) and once while we were taxiing to the runway....

I have decided to review a\every airport I am in from now on, and past ones if they are memorable. Remember, this is for the AIRPORT, not the airline. Template as follows:

Airport Location: Frankfurt, GermanyInternational: YesAirline flown: LufthansaBathrooms: Gross. Tidy but not clean at all. Too small. There were only three sinks and 6 toilet stalls. Garbage can was not within reach of the door. No toilet seat covers provided.Food: N/ACirculation/signage: poorAirport staff/security checkpoints: The jerk at the security gate wouldn't let me through the security checkpoint because it was "too early." He said, "There are no restaurants or duty-free stores over there," as he pointed to the people PAST the checkpoint. I replied that I didn't NEED anything (Lufthansa fed me well and kept me hydrated!) "No. Come back at 11."It was 9:30 am, my flight boards at 11:20. Ridiculous!!The other girl at the checkpoint tried to convince him to let me go... "No."Maybe the restaurants and shops OUTSIDE the security checkpoint pay him to not let people through "too early." Services used & rated: Internet kiosks- Connection was super slow and I was scared I had my hotmail password stolen because it took you to an "e-mail log-in" site and then it gave me error messages. Not recommended.Currency exchange- Female attendant was very nice, spoke English very well, was prompt and polite. Highly recommended if your currency is strong!Comments: Main concourse smelled of sewer in a couple of different places. Any building in 2007 withOUT and enclosed smoking area is behind the times. I should not be forced to inhale harmful AIR on my way to the bathroom. And yes, I understand that Europeans smoke a helluva lot more than Americans.Overall Rating: 2 stars out of 10.

"The search is what everyone would undertake if he were not stuck in the everydayness of his own life. To be aware of the possibility of the search is to be onto something. Not to be onto something is to be in despair."
-Walker Percy, The Moviegoer